Hagen was born on the family farm outside of Watford City, North Dakota. He was the son of Oscar W. Hagen (1884-1945) and Carrie (Scollard) Hagen (1886- 1961). He attended Dickinson State College. In 1939, he married Astrid Berg. Early in his career, he worked on his father's weeklynewspaper, the McKenzie Counter Leader and later the Watford (ND) Guide. He worked for the Williston (ND) Herald until 1946.
He died at the age of 91 and was buried at Schafer Cemetery McKenzie County, North Dakota.[2][3]